NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Mount Ida College women's basketball team dropped their third straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest of the season to the Falcons of Albertus Magnus College by a slim margin of 67-64 on Saturday afternoon in New Haven, Connecticut.
Mount Ida held a slim halftime lead of 28-26, before the Falcons erased the two point deficit and held off a late rally by the Mustangs to score their second GNAC victory of the season.
With their third straight home win, the Falcons improve to 9-6 on the year and 2-2 in GNAC play, while the Mustangs drop to 2-13 (1-2 GNAC).
The Mustangs were led by four players in double figures as Angie Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) recorded yet another double double with 16 points and 14 rebounds while teammate Breanna Muir (Wareham, Mass.) tallied 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Brittany Crosby (Riverside, R.I.) and Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) each tallied 11 and 10 points respectively while Jesse also recorded five rebounds and three assists.
In the third quarter, Albertus Magnus shot over 56 percent from the field and forced five Mount Ida turnovers to turn a two-point deficit into a five-point advantage. After the visitors scored on their first possession of the half to bring their lead to four at 30-26, the Falcons reeled off seven straight points to take a 33-30 lead. A three from Mount Ida sophomore guard Breanna Muir tied the game on the next possession and after that the two squads remained within two points of one another until the Falcons ended the quarter with four unanswered points to lead 48-43 heading into the final frame.
Over the first 90 seconds of the fourth, AMC scored six in a row before a Mustang timeout to hold an 11-point edge (their largest of the contest). The visitors fought back to pull within two with under 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Down the stretch, Albertus Magnus senior point guard Olivia Sutherland (Wallingford, Conn.) knocked down five free throws to help the hosts escape victorious.
During the first quarter, Mount Ida jumped out to an early 11-2 edge over the first four minutes of play thanks to scoring on five its first six possessions. Albertus would answer back and with a 10-4 spurt of their own to close out the frame trailing by three at 15-12 following a layup from sophomore guard Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.).
AMC scored on five straight possessions early on in the second stanza to come charging back and take a four-point lead at 22-18 with with six and a half minutes left in the half. During the charge, Albertus Magnus forwards Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) and Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) combined to score all 10 Falcon points in the paint. Both teams struggled from the field in the second quarter as the hosts scored just one point on a free throw over the final five minutes of play. During that stretch, the Mustangs outscored the squad, 8-1, to take a 28-26 lead into the break.
Offensively, Bolden recorded a double-double for the Falcons courtesy of a 24-point, 10-rebound performance. Piccirillo provided a spark off the bench for Albertus with a season-best 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Sutherland and Pendagast were the other Falcons in double figures, pouring in 12 and 10, respectively.
Mount Ida returns to action on Monday when they entertain GNAC foe Emmanuel College with game time set for 1:00 PM. Albertus Magnus returns to action on Monday as well, Janury 18, with a home conference clash against Rivier at 1:00 pm.